It was great to see Allen Iverson show signs of maturity during his MVP press conference. I hope he can continue to grow because nobody can question his heart, toughness and ability with the rock in his hand.

	Sixers guard Allen Iverson has had some tough times in Philadelphia, but this season he is the NBA's MVP.

What was amazing and nice to see was Iverson giving credit to his coach, Dr. Larry Brown.

The 76ers coach should get a doctorate from Harvard in hoop-ology. What a job he has done in getting Iverson to understand about being a teammate and buying into his system.

Brown faced an uphill battle with Iverson. Many on the inside have said Brown considered packing it in and saying it was over.

The veteran coach could not handle Iverson being late or missing practice or just not getting it. It seemed Iverson's peers were more important to him than where he was going in a Sixers uniform.

No one ever questioned Iverson's explosiveness and his scoring talents, but now he has fit in and has become a leader. As Brown said so eloquently, Iverson has become part of a team.

I feel the MVP ballots are tabulated too early and should consider games played when it really counts – at playoff time. Has there been anyone more dominant than Shaquille O'Neal?

But when judging a player's contributions and how much he factored into the team's success, Iverson is qualified to carry the MVP trophy and place it on his mantle.

Whether your MVP choice was Iverson, Tim Duncan or Shaq, it has been beautiful to see Iverson turn the corner both on and off the court. Let's hope Iverson's maturity continues.